


Stillwater

by glovered



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/F, M/M, Secretly Married, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 13:52:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18477556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glovered/pseuds/glovered
Summary: They meet up with Jody and Donna for pizza. Dean allows himself to be happy for a moment. Sam is an incorrigible gossip.





	Stillwater

**Author's Note:**

  * For [zubeneschamali](https://archiveofourown.org/users/zubeneschamali/gifts).



Dean wanted to see Donna again, he did, but Sam made the ill-advised promise to visit Stillwater in March when it was still 40 degrees with dangerous road conditions. Dean didn't love it.

He told Sam as much as he navigated the winding roads into town and then again as he was stomping through the parking lot, jerking his jacket up around his ears. 

"Freakin' global warming." It was enough to freeze a guy's nuts off.

"Minnesota," Sam told him, like it explained everything.

"Yeah," Dean retorted right back, but then forgot to feel annoyed anymore when Sam gave him a pat on the shoulder.

The snow should have melted by then but it hadn't, not completely. The wet was seeping through his socks, the snow slushy and gross, and it took a while to kick it all off his boots outside the restaurant. But when they entered they were blasted with sudden hot air, the comforting smell of pizza, and Dean tried to relax a little.

"Sam! Dean!"

"Over there," Sam nodded. 

Donna was at a booth by the window. It took Dean a second to spot her with her hair down around her shoulders and wearing a purple flannel shirt. And when they rounded the table they saw she was sharing a plate of fries with—

"Jody!"

Jody stood, giving them both a big grin. "Hey, boys."

Hugs were shared, and when they sat down again Sam dug an elbow into Dean's ribs, nodding just perceptibly to the way Jody's arm had settled across the back of the booth behind Donna's shoulders. Dean frowned at him and cleared his throat. "So how are things? How are the girls?"

Donna's face lit up. "Good. Alex is still working at the hospital. And she and Claire are still doing better."

Sam nodded. "Yeah, they used to be at each other's throats."

"Alex actually got her to take a class at the community college."

Dean raised his eyebrows. "Oh really?" It was kind of cute, thinking of Claire angrily typing out essays or sighing as she had to sit through another damn lesson.

"I mean, I think it's just the one class," Jody said. "Not that that's not a big deal, but it might just be metal working. I wouldn't know, she told me to mind my own business."

"Which is cool," Donna said. "Metal working, I mean. I think she's trying to make knives."

"That's pretty sweet," Dean agreed.

Jody looked uncertain. "The police officer in me is horrified, but the hunter finds that _damn_ impressive, so I'll just keep my trap shut. Anyway, Patience has been learning to control her abilities. She's gotten really into yoga, and the other day she lectured me on the importance of deep breathing."

Donna patted her hand before grabbing Jody's soda and taking a sip. "She has a point."

"Sure," Jody said, before stealing her soda back. It sounded like an old argument.

Dean started to warm up, and it wasn't just the pizza. Sam had settled in comfortably next to him, his knee against Dean's. And Jody and Donna seemed...happy. It took awhile for Dean to realize why. 

Because they weren't all here to strategize about some case, or ask any hard questions. They didn't have anything big coming at them. They could just hang out and eat a slice of pizza with olives and mushrooms, and all Dean had to be annoyed about was Sam watching him out the corner of his eye as Dean dipped every bite in ranch, because he was worried about Dean dying an early death from cholesterol or whatever. So yeah, Dean was feeling tentatively good.

Sam nudged him with his foot under the table and Dean stepped on it but took the hint and refocused on the conversation at hand.

And later, after shooting the shit for half an hour, Donna smiled across the table and said, "I'm glad you guys are good."

By then the pizza left between them was just crust and Dean, who had half forgotten they were going to spend all night lurking in snowbanks trying to catch some monstrous thing, agreed with a nod.

"Yeah, can't complain. So Jody, what are you doing up here anyway?"

"Oh, I've been staying at hers on the weekends."

Donna nodded. "And I take off every second Wednesday to go to Sioux Falls."

"And sometimes we have a girl's night here and there at the cabin. Just us two."

There was a beat, and Dean wanted to roll his eyes at Sam's obvious glee and tell him to shut up, but of course Sam hadn't said anything and Dean felt kind of like a voyeur as Donna gazed starry-eyed at Jody and said, "Yep. Lucky me it's just a hop, skip and a jump from Stillwater."

Jody shrugged. "I was thinking about making the move out here but, you know, my town needs me."

"Such a hero, Jodes."

Jody rolled her eyes at that but when Donna finally looked away Jody's eyes lingered, turned soft around the edges.

Donna stretched her arms over her head and stood. "Welp, it was nice to see you boys but I gotta skeddadle. Civilians to save."

Jody threw some cash on the table and got up too. 

"You know," said Dean. "Between petty theft and monsters, you really have it all covered."

Donna smiled. "All you can do is your best. Jody, got the keys?"

Jody pulled them from the pocket of her red, faux-leather jacket and handed them over. They waved and left.

Sam squinted after them. Dean ignored him and flagged down the waitress. "Two coffees, for the road?"

Sam remained silent at his side, and Dean finally folded. "Ok Sam, what?"

"You ever think they might be…" 

They watched as Donna held the door for Jody but then Jody ushered her through.

"Together?" he finished. "Like, together-together?"

"Sam!" They were out of hearing range but Dean looked back once more, watching them walk to the car just out front.

"What? Just wondering! I mean, did you notice the rings?"

Dean jerked his head back, mouth agape despite himself. "What rings?"

"They both had them. And I heard from that hunter Rodge who heard from Miller out in Arkansas who—"

Dean shook his head. "Yeah, I get it."

"The hunter community is small is all I'm saying — rumors usually turn out to have a grain of truth to them."

"Come on, Sam. Imagine if people were talking about us all the time, think how you'd like it."

"Dean, they _do_ talk about us." Sam seemed to be saying something with his eyebrows and Dean looked away, feeling his ears turn red.

"Yeah, I guess."

The waitress brought their coffees and Dean took the top off of one, blowing on it. Sam was suspiciously quiet and Dean caught him sneaking glances his way and finally Dean just sighed and raised the paper cup to his lips. "Such a freakin' gossip, Sammy, I swear."

"All I know is, I'm glad they're good." 

Dean had to agree. It was a comfort. A huge relief. They might just be in the eye of the storm but Dean would take it. 

He turned to take one last look out the window. To where Jody and Donna were sharing a lingering kiss against the passenger side door.

Dean choked on his coffee.

"Oh, interesting," Sam drawled. He raised one smug eyebrow and then looked Dean's way. "Wonder what other rumors are true then, huh?"

Dean didn't answer, just gulped his coffee down quick. It burned his tongue. 

"Jesus," he sputtered and shoved Sam sideways, out of the booth.

But the world outside looked stark, icy and unforgiving. Dean thought maybe they should finish their coffee here, postpone their drive and stay in comfort for a while longer. Sam's footsteps slowed behind him as they neared the door like he was thinking the same thing.

But if they waited any longer it would be nightfall and they had things to do. Glancing around, Dean tugged at the end of a large scarf on the coat rack by the door, and slipped it off its hook. "Here," he said, and thrust it at Sam.

Sam took it on instinct and Dean didn't wait to see if he put it on. He shrugged and left out the front, leaving all his inconvenient hopes in the cozy restaurant behind him, glancing back only once in time to see Sam furtively replacing the scarf. Dean smiled, despite himself.

Sam caught up with him quickly and together they trudged back to the car, already freezing their asses off.

It would be April soon, real spring with warm days and flowers peeking up through the snow melt. But for now life was still frozen and the trees were bare and Dean's toes were steadily going numb in his wet boots. Sam made him warm his hands for an embarrassing amount of time against the car heat vent before letting him pull the car out of the parking lot, and then he sang annoyingly to the music from the passenger side as Dean drove them out of town.

It was stupid and too cold and Dean loved it anyway.


End file.
